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It was about an hour and a half into a hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee when Sen. Dianne Feinstein laid into Facebook, Google and Twitter.
"I don't think you get it," she began. "You bear this responsibility. You've created these platforms, and now they are being misused. And you have to be the ones to do something about it. Or we will."
The tech giants were being grilled by Congress over Russian trolls abusing their services to meddle in last year's US election, and the California Democratic lawmaker had had it.
It was just one of very public tongue-lashings the Silicon Valley companies received over the course of three marathon congressional panels last month, held over a two-day span. The hearings were anticlimactic, in part because the three companies only sent their general counsels instead of their famous CEOs -- a point several lawmakers bemoaned during the public questioning.
Is it Google, Twitter, and Facebook who don't get it, or Senators like Dianne Feinstein who don't get it?
(Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday December 06 2017, @06:20PM (25 children)
It’s illegal for foreign nationals or governments to buy ads or spend money aimed at influencing a U.S. election. It now seems clear they’ve been using Facebook to do just that. [slate.com]
(Score: 5, Informative) by BK on Wednesday December 06 2017, @06:50PM (20 children)
Fine. So the foreign government has committed a crime. Let's lock them up? I suppose we could engage in a 'police action' in Russia. That seems to have worked well for the last few adventurous folks to try it.
Facebook isn't the police. If there was a law requiring that a person show a passport indicating their nationality before they could buy an advertisement, it would be considered a clear violation of the right to free speech. FEC regulation of elections runs up against the same problems... the things they want to restrict, or the methods they want to use to do it, are considered protected by the First Amendment. So unless you want some kind of (really great fire)wall at the border...
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:24PM (3 children)
So the foreign government has committed a crime. Let's lock them up?
Knowingly helping someone commit a crime is also a crime...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by darnkitten on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:35PM
Hey, Putin just announced he's running for re-election.
Turnabout's fair play, eh?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @12:39AM (1 child)
Isn't there a word for people who aid a foreign government against the interests of their own nation?
(Score: 3, Funny) by redneckmother on Thursday December 07 2017, @03:39PM
Dunno, but the acronym is currently POTUS.
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:24PM (10 children)
FB knew or should have know an illegal act is occurring and report it, period. Now will they catch everything no. But that was s where the law will go.
If you BYE a TV off the back of truck with other TVs. That is fishy so a simlpe report is responsible for you to do. But then you have received stolen property so enjoy jail.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by khallow on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:58PM (2 children)
And how should they know that?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @09:45PM (1 child)
Insert an 'Once' at the beginning of the sentence and it makes more sense... ONCE fb knew they should have reported it...
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 07 2017, @12:00AM
and
So there seems to be no grounds for the concern that Facebook failed to report such crime.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Wednesday December 06 2017, @11:12PM (6 children)
FB knew or should have know an illegal act is occurring and report it
The law is illegal. There is nothing in the 1st Amendment that makes exceptions for foreign nationals. The statue simply states "no law". If you want to make exceptions you have to amend the constitution, and that procedure is explicitly spelled out also.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 07 2017, @01:10AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 07 2017, @01:11AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @11:23AM (3 children)
The voting voters' representatives passed the law, so it must be okay. The voting voter have all the power and can change the law any time they want to, but they haven't, so they must want the law in place!
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday December 07 2017, @05:33PM (2 children)
This is true! It always comes back to the voters' wishes... The collective has spoken!
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 08 2017, @11:50AM (1 child)
Just as you said, the voted-in law is the law! But you also said that the law in question was illegal.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday December 08 2017, @03:16PM
Yes, it is in violation of the constitution. Popular approval doesn't make it any less so.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:39PM (4 children)
It's only a violation to require a person to show a passport or other ID when they actually cast their vote... Apparently... That's how the left thinks - or doesn't - these days.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @09:22PM (3 children)
Because all the voter ID propositions have been carefully crafted to prevent minority voters from being able to participate. Maybe read up on some of the reasons for opposition to those plans before you ascribe some liberal conspiracy?
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by XivLacuna on Wednesday December 06 2017, @11:35PM (2 children)
Hahaha liberals think minorities are too stupid and/or incompetent to get voter ID. I'm at least willing to give minorities the chance to prove this horrible generalization wrong. You think of them as children incapable of getting a ride to the DMV. We have liberal social workers right now who spend time getting their clients to the DMV for a state photo ID and who register people to vote. So even if they are as incompetent as you think they are, some white savior will get them some photo ID that they need to do other stereotypical lower class thing like buy tobacco products or alcohol.
Democrats just don't want to give up illegal invader votes along with the undead vote that always pops out of the grave. It is the only way they can win.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @12:10AM
It isn't a generalization fuck head, guess you didn't want to do any research on the topic and instead want to stick to your hate filled bubble where liberals are trying to destroy the country.
For the lazy [aclu.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 07 2017, @12:26AM
Your imagination is much more limited than that of the Repug operatives.
The same day that Alabama started their voter registration shenanigans, they also closed all the DMV offices in "The Black Belt" with the exception of 1 day a month.
Investigative reporter Greg Palast covers this in great detail his movie|book "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy"
The old movie - 110 minutes [youtube.com]
I was just listening to him on Pacifica Radio KPFK's pledge drive.
He was offering his stuff (the unreleased, updated version) as premiums.
1hr, 13MB MP3 [kpfk.org]
Greg covers a lot of this stuff in that hour of audio (while pitching for listener-supported radio).
...and before that, his project was "Billionaires and Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps".
You need to expand your sources of "information".
As a 1st step, I'd recommend switching off Lamestream Media (anything with a corporate "sponsor").
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Bot on Wednesday December 06 2017, @06:52PM
Clinton foundation received money by the Italian government, dare I say a symbolic little sum, $250k. Of course it did not fund the actual campaign, but if it is illegal to INFLUENCE an election, any effort by a foundation named Clinton under the election influences the campaign. Anyway Trump did finance the foundation too.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by frojack on Wednesday December 06 2017, @09:19PM (2 children)
Is it in fact Illegal?
Your linked article does not say that. You made that part up.
Foreign ads used to appear in newspapers all the time.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday December 06 2017, @09:21PM
The text in the link is a direct quote from the article.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Thursday December 07 2017, @01:13AM
Israel tries to influence the US all the time through its lobbying arm, AIPAC. So, if Facebook should be arrested because Russia used its platform to influence our government, then surely AIPAC must also be arrested for directly, knowingly, and willingly doing the same, right?
Washington DC delenda est.